Ginger & Rosa (4½ Stars)

I bought this film when I was in England at Christmas, and it's been lying on my shelf ever since. To be honest, I don't remember why I bought it. It doesn't look like my sort of film. The sticker says it's part of an HMV "Five Blu-rays for £30" sale, so it's possible I picked it up in desperation as the fifth film. I didn't even intend to watch it today, and may have left it on the shelf for another six months. I wanted to watch "Picasso Trigger". I recently bought all 12 films in the Andy Sidaris collection from Amazon, and I'm slowly working my way through them in order, but today something terrible happened. I opened the case, and there was no disc inside. The disc was sealed in foil, so it was probably a packing error. That's never happened to me before, in my 17 years of buying films on DVD and Blu-ray. And I've bought a lot! I was too lazy to go down to the cellar to pick another film from my to-watch list, so I grabbed the nearest film: "Ginger & Rosa".

I was amazed, from the first minutes onwards. Somehow it touched a nerve. It's a family drama and (to a lesser extent) a coming-of-age drama.

Two women, Natalie and Anoushka, meet on 6th August 1945. They're both in labour, lying in beds next to one another, and they hold hands to comfort one another. They both have baby girls. Natalie's daughter is called Africa, although she's later given the nickname Ginger. Anoushka's daughter is called Rosa. The two mothers become close friends, and the daughters also grow up as friends.

The girls are separated at the age of 11 when they have to go to different schools. Ginger passed the 11+ exam and went to a grammar school. Rosa failed the exam and went to a secondary modern school. Nevertheless, they still spend as much time as possible together.

Fast forward to 1962, shortly after their 17th birthdays. Anoushka is a single mother, after her husband walked out for unstated reasons. Natalie's marriage is on the rocks, because she suspects that her husband Roland, a university lecturer, is having affairs with younger students. Nevertheless, Ginger is closest to her father. Natalie tries to control Ginger's life, preparing her for marriage and a future as a housewife, whereas Roland recognises Ginger's intelligence and encourages her to be a free thinker.

All this is happening against the background of the Cold War. Ginger and Rosa visit CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) meetings. Ginger is convinced that something needs to be done, including illegal protests, while Rosa says that nuclear war is inevitable, so they should just enjoy the short time they have left.

Roland leaves home. A few weeks later Ginger goes to live with him. She soon discovers that Rosa is having an affair with her father, which drives her to the verge of a mental breakdown.

This is a film with incredible emotional depth. Maybe it touched me because I can relate to being alienated from a daughter to whom I used to be close. I don't know. Timothy Spall delivers a stunning performance as Ginger's godfather and close friend of both parents.

Christina Hendricks is convincing as Natalie, apart from the fact that she's too attractive. Why would any man with a gorgeous wife like her run around after young girls? In my opinion, she's one of Hollywood's most beautiful actresses.

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